Tinubu nominates Magnus Abe, 20 others to NUPRC, NMDPRA boards
President Bola Tinubu has nominated former Rivers South-East Senator Magnus Abe as chairman of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Fee, in search of the Senate’s affirmation for him and 20 different nominees to serve on the boards of the 2 key petroleum regulatory companies.
In separate letters to the Senate on Monday, the President requested expedited approval for board members of the NUPRC and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority.
Abe, who represented Rivers South-East within the Senate for 2 phrases, beforehand served as a board member of the Nigerian Nationwide Petroleum Company and presently chairs the Nationwide Company of the Nice Inexperienced Wall.
In response to a press release by the Particular Adviser to the President on Info and Technique, Bayo Onanuga, Abe will lead the NUPRC board alongside different non-executive commissioners together with Paul Jezhi, a former Commerce Union Congress chairman in Kaduna, and Sunday Babalola, a former deputy director of the defunct Division of Petroleum Assets.
The President additionally nominated seven govt commissioners to the NUPRC board: Muhammed Lamido as govt commissioner for finance; Edu Inyang for exploration and acreage; Justin Ezeala for {economic} regulation and strategic planning; and Henry Oki for growth and production.
Others are Indabawa Alka for company providers and administration; Mahmood Tijani for well being, security and atmosphere; and Olayemi Adeboyejo as secretary and authorized adviser.
Lamido and Adeboyejo had been initially appointed by former President Muhammadu Buhari in 2022, whereas Tinubu appointed Alka in 2023.
Inyang, Ezeala, a former managing director of Nigerian Fuel Advertising Restricted, Tijani, Babalola, and Jezhi are new appointees.
For the NMDPRA board, President Tinubu nominated Adegbite Adeniji, a lawyer with over 30 years of expertise in power and pure sources, as chairman.
Adeniji beforehand served as particular technical adviser to the Minister of State for Petroleum on upstream and gasoline till 2018 and was a member of the World {Bank}’s Oil & Fuel Coverage crew that suggested the Nigerian authorities on petroleum sector reform, together with the event of the Strategic Fuel Plan for Nigeria. He presently serves as managing companion at ENR Advisory.
The President additionally nominated Kenneth Kobani, a former minister of state for commerce beneath President Goodluck Jonathan and ex-secretary to the Rivers State authorities beneath Nyesom Wike, and Asabe Ahmed as non-executive members of the NMDPRA board.
Different NMDPRA board nominees embody Abiodun Adeniji as govt director of finance; Francis Ogaree for hydrocarbon; Oluwole Adama for midstream and downstream gasoline infrastructure; and Dr Mustapha Lamorde for company providers and administration.
President Tinubu appointed Adama in 2024, whereas late President Buhari appointed Lamorde and Adeniji in 2021 and Ogaree in 2022.
Further NMDPRA board members proposed by the President are Yahaya Yinusa as govt director for distribution techniques; Adeyemi Aminu for company providers; Modie Ogechukwu for {economic} regulation and strategic planning; and Olawale Dawodu as board secretary and authorized adviser.
Dawodu, an trade veteran, beforehand served as {Financial} Reporting Supervisor at Exxon Nigerian subsidiaries.
The presidential requests observe the latest affirmation by the Senate of chief govt officers for the 2 regulatory companies.
Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan was confirmed as CEO of NUPRC, whereas Saidu Aliyu Mohammed was authorised as CEO of NMDPRA.
Each regulatory our bodies had been established by the Petroleum Trade Act of 2021, which abolished the Division of Petroleum Assets and restructured Nigeria’s petroleum sector governance framework.
President Tinubu charged all appointees and nominees to discharge their duties and obligations professionally as regulators of the oil and gasoline sectors, emphasising the strategic significance of efficient oversight within the nation’s petroleum trade.
The Senate is predicted to display screen the nominees within the coming weeks earlier than formal affirmation votes.